Recent incidents in Valley have brought AFSPA in focus: Omar

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said some incidents in the Valley over the past 10 days have lent credence to voices both against and for revocation of controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the state.

‘I won’t talk about AFSPA right now. Last 10 days, we have seen two incidents which have given evidence both for presence and revocation of AFSPA,’ he told reporters after inaugurating a three-day National Summit organised by National Rural Health Mission here.

Omar said the advocates of continuation of AFSPA in the state cite the example of attack on Army convoy in Srinagar on 24 June in which eight soldiers were killed and a dozen others were injured.

‘They say that AFSPA cannot be revoked when such incidents take place. Those who want the Act to go cite the Sumbal incident, saying there was wrong use of powers ...which led to death of two youths. If there was no AFSPA it would not have happened,’ he said.

Omar said he would continue the discussion with the Centre on the issue of partial revocation of AFSPA in the state.

‘I will only say that our discussions about AFSPA (with the Centre) will continue,’ he added. On the incident in which two youths were killed alleged in Army firing on Sunday, the chief minister said investigations are going on.

‘An FIR has been filed, investigation is ongoing, whatever arrests are taking place are on the basis of investigation,’ Omar said when asked about the detention of a civilian driver, hired by the army, by the police.

The driver had claimed that he did not see police personnel during the operation. Police officials refused to comment on his detention, saying they were busy with maintenance of law and order in the affected areas.

Addressing the participants at the NRHM function, Omar criticised the electronic media for its reportage of the recent militancy-related incidents in Kashmir.